OUTDOOR RECREATION PARTICIPATION STUDY SNOWSHOEING. Have you gone snowshoeing? SNOWSHOEING

Transcription

1 OUTDOOR RECREATION PARTICIPATION STUDY SNOWSHOEING Have you gone snowshoeing? SNOWSHOEING

2 SNOWSHOEING: 5.5 MILLION PARTICIPANTS, 22 MILLION OUTINGS THE 2005 AMERICAN SNOWSHOEING PARTICIPANT Balanced population of males and females and those who are married or unmarried Over one-third (34%) are between the ages of 16 and 24; 30% are over the age of 45 (mean age of 36 years) Most likely to live in the Northeastern region of the United States More likely to participate in other winter sports activities such as Telemark skiing and crosscountry/nordic skiing, compared to the total population Hiking is a particular favorite activity Participated, on average, four times during 2005 Fifty-seven percent only participated one or two times MAJOR TRENDS IN SNOWSHOEING Snowshoeing has seen relatively stable participation with between 5 and 6 million participants since peaked in 2000 and 2001, but total outings still generally total between 20 and 30 million a year. Age: Trend results show a steady growth in 16 to 24 year-old snowshoeing since 1999 one-third of snowshoers fall within this age group in Gender: Snowshoeing is more gender balanced in 2005 compared to the past three years where more males participated in the sport Events of Note Observation/Implication Likelihood for crossover into other winter sports is high. Younger Americans (16 to 24) are increasingly more likely to participate. Attract other winter sports enthusiasts especially younger enthusiasts. 125

3 SNOWSHOEING: PARTICIPATION AND FREQUENCY'S IMPACT ON TOTAL OUTINGS In the past six years, snowshoeing has attracted between 5 and 6 million participants. The total number of outings generated is usually between 20 and 30 million. However, in 2000 and 2001 a record number of outings were measured. Number & Percentage of Participants 1.3% % % 2.4% 2.5% 2.7% 2.1% 2.4% Average Number of Total Number of Rolling Trend Average 126

4 SNOWSHOEING: FREQUENCY OF PARTICIPATION The average number of times that Americans went snowshoeing in 2005 equaled four outings. This translates to 22 million total outings for 2005, down 7 million from The snowshoer population has historically been comprised of a significant percentage of Participants who go on only one or two outings per year. During 2005, 57% of snowshoe Participants fit this casual frequency profile. Frequency and Among Americans 16 and Older Frequency time 44% 30% 39% 34% 34% 41% 31% 29% 2 times 17% 21% 21% 17% 28% 18% 19% 28% 3 to 6 times 33% 30% 21% 24% 28% 30% 31% 31% 7 to 10 times 6% 9% 9% 6% 3% 6% 5% 4% 11 or more times 0% 9% 11% 18% 7% 6% 14% 9% Average Frequency Total (s)

5 SNOWSHOEING: PARTICIPANT DEMOGRAPHIC PROFILE TRENDS During 2005, the snowshoer population returned to traditional levels. The population was more equally split between males and females and married and unmarried individuals. Almost a third of participants were each between the ages of 16 and 24 (34%) and over the age of 45 (30%). The Northeast sees the greatest percentage of snowshoers. Demographic Profile Participants Gender Male 65% 66% 64% 56% 67% 62% 70% 55% Female 35% 34% 36% 44% 33% 38% 30% 45% Age 16 to 24 30% 20% 24% 32% 30% 26% 26% 34% 25 to 34 25% 26% 15% 27% 19% 25% 27% 16% 35 to 44 20% 19% 25% 17% 20% 18% 10% 20% % 35% 36% 24% 31% 30% 37% 30% Marital Status Married 50% 52% 48% 47% 50% 52% 54% 54% Unmarried 50% 48% 51% 53% 49% 48% 46% 46% Ethnicity Caucasian N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A 77% 83% 82% African-American N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A 4% 4% 3% Hispanic N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A 9% 12% 9% Asian N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A 6% 1% 5% Other N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A 8% 5% 3% Children <18 Yes 50% 29% 39% 35% 39% 48% 35% 42% Household Income <$40k N/A 33% 36% 39% 35% 30% 23% 23% $40k - $79k N/A 53% 43% 36% 35% 49% 39% 46% $80k+ N/A 15% 20% 25% 31% 21% 38% 32% Region Northeast 30% 21% 19% 29% 27% 29% 36% 40% South Central 30% 13% 16% 14% 24% 21% 10% 12% North Central 25% 20% 22% 18% 16% 17% 21% 19% West 15% 46% 43% 39% 33% 32% 33% 29% *Ethnicity: Will not add to 100%, see page 239 for details. 128

6 SNOWSHOEING: WHERE PARTICIPANTS LIVE* The Northeast region has the greatest percentage of snowshoers among its population. Five percent of Northeasterners participate in snowshoeing compared to 2.4% of the total population. The South Central region has the lowest percentage of snowshoers (1%). Regional Profile West % % % % % % % % North Central % % % % % % % % Northeast % % % % % % % % South Central * Percent of total in each region that are Snowshoers % % % % % % % % 129

7 SNOWSHOEING: PARTICIPANT CROSSOVER ACTIVITY TRENDS Compared to the total population, snowshoers are more likely to participate in other winter sports activities such as Telemark skiing and cross-country/nordic skiing. Hiking is the most popular activity among snowshoers. Activities Crossover Activities Snowshoeing in 2003 Snowshoeing In 2004 Snowshoeing in 2005 Size of 2005 Crossover Participation Populations (s) Backpacking 24% 31% 29% 1,597,262 Bicycling (Any Type) 61% 58% 67% 3,645,922 Bicycling (Paved Road) 52% 50% 61% 3,345,375 Bicycling (Mountain) 43% 41% 53% 2,885,958 Bicycling (Single Track) 32% 34% 44% 2,399,464 Bicycling (Dirt Road) 38% 33% 40% 2,212,084 Bird Watching 14% 23% 19% 1,025,600 Camping (Any Type) 57% 52% 51% 2,776,525 Camping (Away from Car) 26% 31% 23% 1,270,600 Camping (Car) 32% 23% 31% 1,722,549 Canoeing 38% 36% 29% 1,605,568 Climbing (Any Type) 9% 17% 18% 1,001,980 Climbing (Artificial Wall) 7% 14% 14% 750,934 Climbing (Natural Rock) 5% 11% 8% 434,733 Climbing (Ice) 2% 8% 3% 151,567 Cross-Country/Nordic Skiing 33% 33% 27% 1,499,186 Fishing (Any Type) N/A 55% 52% 2,840,899 Fishing (Fly) 19% 25% 24% 1,314,024 Fishing (Non-Fly) N/A 51% 46% 2,531,278 Hiking 63% 80% 75% 4,102,224 Kayaking (Any Type) 15% 21% 17% 939,090 Kayaking (Non-Whitewater) 14% 19% 17% 939,090 Kayaking (Sit-On-Top) 13% 15% 11% 619,242 Kayaking (Tour/Sea) 5% 11% 7% 367,905 Kayaking (Whitewater) 3% 8% 2% 128,234 Paddle sports (Any Type) 42% 46% 41% 2,248,672 Rafting 13% 16% 15% 835,620 Snowshoeing 100% 100% 100% 5,473,123 Telemark Skiing 19% 11% 14% 762,839 Trail Running 35% 43% 40% 2,166,